Robert F. Kennedy Jr., an independent presidential candidate, alleged that President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump colluded to exclude him from the debates. He claimed that the two contending parties were afraid that he would win if he were to face them on the debate stage.
Kennedy made the pronouncement Wednesday on X, alluding to the debates set for Trump and Biden by CNN and ABC News, which are scheduled for June 27 and Sept. 10, respectively. He also said that isolating viable candidates from the debate stage undermines democracy.
"Presidents Trump and Biden are colluding to lock America into a head-to-head match-up that 70% say they do not want. They are trying to exclude me from their debate because they are afraid I would win. Keeping viable candidates off the debate stage undermines democracy," Kennedy wrote in the post.
Kennedy did not qualify for the debate that CNN is hosting in Atlanta since he was not able to meet the criteria that was laid out by the network. According to NBC News, Kennedy's press secretary for the campaign, Stefanie Spear, said he would accept the invitation to face the two contenders in a debate if he qualifies.
ABC News also announced that Trump and Biden will face each other in a debate on its network in September. Like CNN, ABC also laid down its criteria in order to join the debate, and Kennedy also did not make the cut.
The qualifications for the debate, as laid down by ABC in its press release, states that "candidates must fulfill the requirements outlined in Article II, Section 1 of the Constitution of the United States; file a Statement of Candidacy with the Federal Election Commission; appear on a sufficient number of state ballots to reach the 270 electoral vote threshold to win the presidency prior to the eligibility deadline; agree to accept the rules and format of the debate; and receive at least 15% in four separate national polls of registered or likely voters that meet ABC's standards for reporting."
Kennedy has already hit the criteria previously set by CNN. He was calling out the 15% polling threshold set by the network in two out of four qualifying polls. CNN also made an announcement that the participant in the debate must be able to appear on a sufficient number of state ballots that would secure the 270 electoral votes needed to win the presidency. Based on the ballot tracker that could be found on the campaign website of Kennedy, as of writing, he could qualify for only 187 electoral votes.
